Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Winter Daily Situation Report published by NHS England on 13 December 2018, what distance the 25 patients who were diverted to another A&E department between 3 December and 9 December 2018 had to travel (a) from their local hospital and (b) from their homes.

This information is not collected centrally.

NHS England’s Winter Daily Situation Reports are published at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/winter-daily-sitreps/winter-daily-sitrep-2018-19-data/

The data record the number of diverts in place and not the number of patients. The plans for diverts are pre-agreed locally between ambulance service and neighbouring trusts and are designed to ensure patients can be seen faster.